Diet and Health News From Around The World

News stories from around the globe that makes the U.S. not seem like the obesity propaganda capital of the world.

-It appears that in Japan, it's not the women who are dying to be thin but the men! About seven years ago Japanese woman turned their concerns towards health and exercise. According to the article today's Japanese women are strong, robust, bursting with energy. They takes care of their body but are not obsessed with being thin. They are proud of their muscles. The men on the other hand are the ones who want to be "slender, vulnerable and protected." Young males between the ages of 18 and 30 make up the slimmest segment of the population and the ideal fashion weight by the apparel industry is about 125 pounds, and a height of 5 feet 8 inches. Many men for many men this is their ideal/goal body and like Hollywoods skinny girls, some wish they were even skinnier. Could you imagine if over here in the US, the gender roles were reversed? Instead of Glamour preaching how to the last 5 pounds, that would read the cover of GQ and Maxim? I can see it now on my first date with my future ex husband:
Me: "I'll have the Steak Special, cooked medium, what does that come with? Actually I don't care, I'll take whatever. Mashed pots? Perfect."
Future Ex-Husband: "I'll have the garden salad with grilled chicken, no cheese or crouton, Fat Free Balsamic on the side, thanks."
Me: "What are you on a diet?"
...Yeah, that will be the day
[Read The Article Here]

-If you are thinking about relocating to New Zealand any time soon, you better get on a scale pronto to make sure they will let you in! The Daily Mail is reporting that a Brittish woman was banned from entering New Zealand for being too fat!
"Rowan Trezise, 33, has been left behind in England while her husband Richie, 35, has already made the move down under leaving her desperately trying to lose weight." Here is what New Zealand spokesperson had to say, "The immigration department can't afford to import people who are going to be a significant drain on our health resources." The country uses the BMI index to determine whether or not someone is overweight. I have written about this a few times, how I think it is an unfair measurement of health. Is New Zealand trying to play Darwin by itself? Lastly this isn't Fact Checked, but according to the article the BMI that is regarded overweight is 25, so does that mean if you are a 26 you cannot enter? [Read the article here]

-In a report published by the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation last week, a reported 1 in 5 women actually get the recommeneded 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week, and the number is even LOWER among ethnic minority groups with only 13.2% of Muslim women managing the recommended 30 minutes of daily moderate activity five days a week. Reportedly this situation is getting worse. "Muslim societies, in general, do allow women to exercise; in fact, Islam positively encourages physical activity for both sexes. But, in some Muslim communities, female participation in sport and fitness is permitted only on the condition that women adhere to their religion's code of modesty," reportes the UK's Gaurdian. The women cannot swim in public pools, nor can the workout where men will be present. To help encourage muslim women to exercise while still abiding by Muslim rules, the Muslim Women's Sports Foundation (MWSF) runs a weekly 2-hour training session in North London. Still there are relatively few places for muslim women to get fit.

"In Birmingham (UK), the Sisters Games initiative, launched last year, provides Muslim women with single-sex sporting opportunities and exercise classes that allow them to adhere to Islamic values. Akhtar says a huge breakthrough was made when Britain became the first non-Muslim country to take part in the Muslim Women's Games, a four-yearly championship run like a mini-Olympics." Also, designers are creating clothing for women to wear while working out, that still cover what needs to be covered but without the excess material.
I chose to include this article because I never thought about this. I take for granted being able to go to the gym. Does anyone on here know if there are places in the US where Muslim women can workout? Please feel free to comment anyone. What about in the middle east like Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq? Do women exercise there? These may seem like naive comments but I honestly never even thought about this before and now I am very curious.